In a Time Without Stewie
by LDEJRuff
Summary: What if the events of "Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie" actually did happen? In the events following Stewie's death, and gaining friends in two new dogs through the years, Brian is enjoying a good life. But when something hits him emotionally, Brian must make a regretful decision.
1. Chapter 1

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 1 - Presidential Funeral

* * *

"Say hi to Cleveland for me," Stewie Griffin said, aiming his gun in front of his mother, Lois' face. Realizing then, he continued, "Oh, and Mr. Weed."

Before he could shoot her, he felt a bullet wound on his chest. Someone had just shot him. He was later instantly killed when another bullet went straight through his head. It was his father, Peter, who just killed his diabolical infant son.

"It's just been revoked!" he said, quoting a line from _Lethal Weapon_.

"Uh, Peter," Brian began to correct him, "he didn't really set you up for that _Lethal Weapon_ line. It doesn't really work here."

"Oh," Peter replied, realizing, before saying, "I'll have what she's having!"

"That's...better," Brian said, uneasily.

Both Peter and Lois then loomed over their now dead son, and despite everything that happened, leading up to this, Lois held Peter's hand, brokenheartedly. Peter then closed Stewie's empty eyes.

* * *

A few days have passed, and a funeral was held for Stewie. Most of the remaining family members shed tears of sadness. However, one family member, did not. Brian crossed his arms, eyebrows lowered, angry at the fact that Stewie had held him hostage before his death.

"_Screw you, Stewie_," Brian thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lois began the funeral, "we are gathered here today to say goodbye to our youngest son, and President of the United States, Stewie Griffin."

"Nobody came to _my_ funeral!" Mayor Adam West shouted before storming off, fading away in the process, despite technically not being dead.

"I know Peter wanted to say a few words," Lois continued, allowing Peter to speak.

"Oh, boy," Peter began. "This is the worst pain I've ever had to go through, and I've sprained my ankle twice. Um, the truth is, despite everything that has happened up to his death, Stewie wasn't just my youngest son. He was the one who brought our family together. And," Peter began to break down into tears before continuing, "I'm gonna spend the rest of my life missing him."

"We're _all_ gonna miss him, Peter," Lois said, holding his hand. "We're all gonna miss him very much."

The guests who attended, including Glenn Quagmire, shed tears of sadness.

"Goodbye, little President," Glenn said. "You would've also allowed the leash law to dogs."

As the casket was lowering into the grave, Brian flipped off at the casket while also shedding a tear.


	2. Chapter 2

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 2 - New Brian

* * *

One season had passed, and the Griffins' memory of Stewie was completely forgotten. Anyway, one afternoon, Peter, Brian, Glenn, and Joe Swanson were watching _Jackass_ and laughed at the scene where Johnny Knoxville got shot in the face and somehow survived.

"These guys are hilarious," said Peter. "They do so much funny stuff. Hey, you know what? We should try some of that stuff here, at home."

"I don't think so, Peter," Brian disagreed. "The warning before the show advised us not to try any of that stuff at home."

"Oh, Brian," Peter disbelieved. "You sound just like Cleveland. God rest his soul."

* * *

Anyway, the guys did a lot of _Jackass_-related stunts, and their most recent one resulted in Peter getting hurt. Brian swam to retrieve him, but his back snapped, and he almost drowned. Joe managed to save the both of them.

Back home, Lois reprimanded Peter, whose arm was in a sling.

"You know, Peter, I'd expect this kind of behavior from you," she said, "but you have no business endangering Brian like that."

"Thank you, Lois," Brian agreed.

"I mean he jumped into that lake to try to save your life," Lois continued, "and he's eight years old, Peter. Eight! That's fifty-six in _human_ years!"

"Okay, Lois," Brian replied, thinking she took this a little too far.

"Why do you think he almost drowned?" Lois continued. "He's old, Peter, plus he drinks and smokes all the time. So take that fifty-six and make it seventy-nine, at least!"

"Why you making such a big deal out of this, Lois?" Brian asked. "I was just a little tired."

"Yeah, well that's how it begins, Brian," Lois replied. "Then the next thing you know, I'm making Peter dig a hole in the yard and you're in a pillowcase."

"You're out of your mind," Peter disagreed. "Brian is young and I'm gonna prove it to you!"

* * *

He _did_ try to prove it to her, twice, but he started to feel like she was right about Brian. So, he decided to go to the pet shop to buy a new dog to take her advice. There, he found a gray Border Collie with a red bandana around his neck.

"Hey, green pants," the gray dog greeted Peter. "I couldn't help overhearing you at the entrance, and can tell you may be looking for a dog like me."

"Oh, wow," Peter said, amazed. "Someone who sounds like they can make me feel at home. Name's Peter."

"Nice to meet you, Peter," the gray dog replied.

"Don't you have a name?" Peter asked the dog.

"Actually," the gray dog answered, "my parents didn't have enough time to name me before they abandoned me. Maybe you can give me a good name?"

"Oh, okay," Peter said. "How about I name you 'New Brian'?"

"New Brian, huh?" the dog wondered. "Sounds like a good name."

"'New Brian'" it is," Peter said. "Come, let me take you home."

With that, Peter opened New Brian's cage and purchased him.

* * *

The following morning, during breakfast, Peter greeted Lois, Meg, Chris and Brian.

"Good morning, everybody. Brian, I have something to say: I'm sorry I've been so preoccupied with your age."

"Well, look, Peter," Brian responded, "don't worry, just let's forget about it."

"Fantastic," Peter agreed. "And to _help_ us forget about it: family, I'd like to introduce...New Brian."

With that, Peter allowed New Brian to enter inside through the door.

"Hey, gang!" New Brian greeted. "Whose leg do you have to hump to get a hug around here?"

Lois, Meg and Chris laughed in response to this, but Brian was stunned.

"You got a new dog?" Brian said.

"Yes, sir," Peter answered.

"But, _I'm_ the dog!"

"Well," Peter began, "now that you're getting older, New Brian's here to take some of the load off."

"Can he do tricks?" Chris asked.

Peter replied, "Oh, you bet! He's trained to fetch, roll over, and make you feel really good about yourself."

"Wow, Meg and Chris," New Brian said, walking to them. "I can't decide which one of your hats I like better."

Meg and Chris gasped in surprise at this.

"I- I can't believe you've got a new dog," Brian said. "What about me?"

"Hey, you're still my buddy." Peter answered. "New Brian is just a new friend for the family. Trust me, you guys are gonna get along better than Abraham Lincoln and his neighbor."

* * *

Some time had passed, and New Brian approached Brian, who was sitting on the couch. The Border Collie had just returned from a morning run around the neighborhood.

"Hey, Brian," New Brian greeted. "I went out for a run this morning and I found this stick. I thought you might like it."

"Wow, thanks a lot," Brian responded, as New Brian handed him the stick."

"And I got you this bag of weed," New Brian continued, handing him said bag. "I don't smoke it myself, but I sure won't judge you."

"Gosh, thanks," said Brian. "You know, I wasn't sure about this new dog thing at first, but I gotta tell you, New Brian, you're a really terrific guy."

"Really?" New Brian said, wagging his tail in excitement. "Wow! That's amazing. I say this has to be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Brian smiled at this.

"Check you later, handsome guy," New Brian waved, about to go upstairs. "I'm gonna humor Peter with some impressions."

"_Ah, there he goes,_" Brian thought. "_He may take the load off, but he's still a good friend. I wonder how the other dogs would respond to this._"

**Cutaway:** A male German Shepherd leered through the window in jealousy.

"You son of a bitch," the German Shepherd gloated, shaking his head.


	3. Chapter 3

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 3 - Feeling Unloved...Then Loved Again

* * *

Later that night, Brian then approached the family members with a video tape in hand.

"Okay, everybody," Brian said, getting everyone's attention, "tonight I've got a real treat for you. And it's for New Brian."

"We've all seen you compilation video, Brian," Peter said, aware of what Brian was about to say. "Shatner singing Rocketman, drunk Orson Welles during that commercial Silvester Stallone in that porno, and Bill Cosby beating up that midget."

"Well, I don't remember that last one," Lois said.

"Oh, yes," Peter reminded her, "freakin' brutal, for no reason. You know, poor little guy just sitten there eating a snack pack Bill Cosby just runs in out of nowhere and just starts wailing on him."

"Didn't that guy die?" Chris asked.

"No, no, these are home movies from when I was a puppy," Brian corrected.

"He died," Chris continued, still thinking about the midget.

"Okay, look, just watch," Brian said as he began the video.

On the video were some scenes of a younger Brian, as a puppy, chewing on a bone in his bed, lifting his leg to pee near a tree, sneaking a sandwich in a picnic basket, being placed near a Christmas tree, and digging in the dirt. All those memories made Brian smile. He then heard the family members say "Aww," but not because of the home movies. It was so because they saw New Brian sleeping.

"Oh, look at him sleep," Peter said, quietly.

"Oh, I wonder what he's dreaming about," Meg said, softly.

"Shut up, Meg," Peter continued, still softly.

New Brian then broke wind, still asleep.

"Ah! Ooh! D'you hear that?" Peter asked,

"He farted," Chris responded, softly.

"Just like in the song."

Peter heard New Brian's song, "I Like Farts" earlier this morning.

Brian, feeling a little left out, decided to break wind as well, loudly. This made the other family members feel disgusted and New Brian wake up.

"Oh, what the hell is the matter with you?" Peter said, dragging Brian by the collar. "Outside! Outside now!"

* * *

Brian sat outside on the front step the next day.

"_So what if they have a new dog?_" Brian thought, gloating. "_Lots of families have two dogs._"

Peter then came outside with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Brian," he said. "I thought maybe we could spend an afternoon together."

"Really?" Brian said, ecstatic. "That'd be great!"

"Awesome!" Peter said, glad. "'Cause I've got this new gun, and I thought we could go deep in the woods, where no one would ever think to look, and, uh, just shoot it. You know, like so far in noone can hear a gunfire, or screaming."

All of this then made Brian feel a little uneasy.

"Uh, I don't think so, Peter," Brain said, walking back inside.

"_Jesus, looks like he thinks I'm gonna shoot him,_" Peter thought to himself. "_He acted all crazy like Quagmire when he drunk dials me._"

* * *

The following afternoon, New Brian was reading the newspaper. He laughed at a funny comic.

"Oh, Dagwood," he said. "You never cease to amaze me."

He then heard Brian crying outside. New Brian decided to go outside and saw Brian crying on the lawn.

"Brian?" New Brian said, noticing. "What's with the crying?"

"Oh," Brian began to dismiss. "I just realized that I have something in my eye."

"Come on, Brian," New Brian said. "Is something bothering you? What's wrong?"

Brian sighed. "Okay. You want to know what's wrong? What's wrong is, everyone in the family is so happy with you, they don't even know I exist. They're starting to neglect me. With my getting older, they're getting warmed up to you."

All this started to make New Brian feel hurt emotionally.

"Brian," New Brian began, "this feels all so emotional. This kinda reminds me of what happened to _me_ when I was born."

"Really?" Brian said, drying his eyes.

"Yeah," New Brian continued. "Before Peter found me at the pet shop, I used to be a loner. My parents abandoned me when I was just a puppy. They didn't have enough time to name me, I had no litter mates to take care of, I was neglected, just like you."

"Well," Brian began, "did Peter make you happy when he found you?"

"Yeah," New Brian answered. "That's what made me get over that bad memory. When I saw him looking for a dog, I sensed he was going through the same feelings like _I_ did. And I thought that I was meant to find him. Maybe he thought I'd brighten your lives."

"You know, N.B.," Brian began, starting to smile, "I'm starting to think it's true."

What Brian just said felt heartwarming to New Brian.

"Come here, Brian," New Brian said, offering a hug.

With that, the two dogs gave each other a hug.

"So, you think you can treat me like a little brother or something?" New Brian asked. "Because I'm getting kinda nice to you."

Brian chuckled. "I'm starting to already, New Brian. Maybe I can share some stories with you. I have most stories on DVD, even though they're not by season."

New Brian laughed. "Well, _that's_ something you don't hear everyday."

* * *

The following morning, New Brian had served the family some pancakes. Even Brian began to enjoy them.

"Wow, New Brian," Brian said. "These are the best pancakes I've had, just like the ones I've had at Denny's."

"Uh, Brian," Peter said, "are we about to set up a cutaway or something?"

"Nah," Brian said, shaking his head. "I'd rather not."

"Well, Brian," Lois said, "I think you getting warmed up to New Brian is something we, as a family, would enjoy."

"Why, thank you, Lois," Brian responded. "New Brian is a swell addition to the family."

New Brian felt happy upon hearing this. He then secretly pulled out Rupert from his back.

"This will be our little secret, Rupert," New Brian whispered. "I hope we don't let the family find out about my humping you." With that, New Brian gave Rupert a kiss and a pat on the head.


	4. Chapter 4

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 4 - Saving Lives (Five Seasons Later)

* * *

In five seasons' time, both Brian and New Brian began to go on amazing adventures together:

The two dogs decided to travel to the North Pole to save all the Christmas stress that Santa and his elves were going through.

They managed to save Rupert after his recall announcement.

They went on a trip to Las Vegas after Brian won tickets to see Celine Dion.

They also mended the relationship between Brian and Glenn, so the rivalry would stop.

And in their time, they even managed to keep the family together. Even to that very day Brian had to save a life...

* * *

It was on the afternoon of November 24, 2013. Brian was busy typing a chapter for his third novel on his laptop. While he was typing, he heard the sound of screeching tires. A car made a sharp curve arriving in Spooner Street. It passed the Griffin house when Brian got out of the house. The car didn't stop until it crashed at a tree. Brian watched in shock.

"Oh, my god," Brian said before rushing to the car. The other family members got outside, alarmed.

"What the hell?" Lois said, placing her hands on her cheeks.

Brian opened the drivers' side door to reveal an unconscious...

"Justin Bieber!" he shouted. "Oh, no. He's hurt!"

The rest of the family rushed to Brian's side and are shocked at the sight of the Canadian-born pop star's state.

"Oh, my god!" Lois cried.

"Holy crap," Peter added. "What the hell happened?"

* * *

The Griffins rushed Justin and his also-unconscious fan to the hospital. They had to sit in the waiting area for news of their fates.

"I just hope they're all right, Brian," New Brian said. "If you hadn't informed us, Lord knows what could have happened to them."

"I know," Brian added, aware as New Brian. "I'm worried about their condition, as well."

Dr. Elmer Hartman got out of the operating room, removing his mask.

"Dr. Hartman," Lois began, worried, "how are they? Are they going to be okay?"

"Well, Mrs. Griffin," Dr. Hartman answered, "they're lucky to be alive. Justin may have some minor injuries. His fan, however, has a concussion on her forehead, but she'll live."

The Griffins were relieved to hear this news. They then went inside the operating room to see the two patients.

Justin awoke to see the Griffins. "Who are _you_?"

"I'm Brian," Brian answered, "and this is my family. We rushed both you and your fan to the hospital so Dr. Hartman could save your lives. If we hadn't, you would've died."

"I can't be at a hospital," Justin said. "I have a concert to give, and..."

"Easy there, Justin," Brian said. "You need to relax. Your injuries will heal soon, so don't worry. We also informed your fan's family about her concussion, but she'll live, too."

"Thank you, everyone," Justin replied. "And thank _you_, Brian."

"My pleasure, Justin," Brian said. "After all, it could have been worse."

* * *

Some time later, New Brian had watched a report on _Dateline_. That report made him quiver in shock.

"Oh, gosh," he said. "It can't be. It looks like he needs help..."


	5. Chapter 5

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 5 - Vinny

* * *

New Brian rushed to the kitchen and saw Brian eating a sandwich.

"Brian!"

"Yes?" Brian responded.

"I just saw an entire news story on _Dateline_ today," New Brian answered. "An old man just died in a yoga class incident. He tried to do the first pose. He left his tiny apartment and his dog behind."

"Old man? Yoga class? Tiny apartment?" Brian repeated.

"Yeah," New Brian answered. "We may need to tell the family that we need another dog in the family."

"What?" Brian said, surprised. "Another dog? But isn't two dogs enough."

"Brian, you accepted me as a family member when I was a loner," New Brian said. "I bet we can do the same for _this_ dog, too."

Long silence. Afterwards, Brian nodded in agreement.

* * *

Later that day, the Griffins walked to the pet shop. After they went inside, Lois responded.

"New Brian, are you sure we need another dog in the family?"

"Yes," New Brian answered. "The dog we're looking for has recently been orphaned, and we need to give him a good home."

"Yeah," Brian added.

"Well, all right," Lois sighed. "I guess it's time to add another family dog."

With that, the Griffins walked to the dog cages. Upon inspection, Lois shrugged.

"I don't know how to choose between all these dogs."

"Well, _I_ do," Brian said. "And I think the sleeping tan one wearing a black collar is the dog we're looking for."

Upon noticing, Brian saw a dog in a cage right next to him. This dog was about the same size as either Brian or New Brian. It was a male dog who looked like either a Pit Bull or a cross between an Italian Greyhound and a German Shepherd. His fur was a grayish brown with some cream from his nose all the way to his belly, and he was wearing a black collar with a tag. The dog was sleeping.

"Excuse me," Brian said, getting the dog's attention and waking him up. "Is your name Vinny by any chance?"

"Yeah," the dog, Vinny, replied in an Italian-American accent that almost sounded like that of a Brooklyner's. "You looking for a dog?"

"Of course, we are," Brian answered. "New Brian informed me that you lost your owner today. That's why we want you in our family."

"Oh, okay," Vinny said, getting up. "And I can see _you're_ a dog, too. I take it you saw the _Dateline_ special, huh?"

"Well, New Brian told me about it," Brian shrugged. "Still, he says you need a family to take care of you."

"That's true," Vinny responded.

With that, Brian opened the cage and let Vinny out, allowing Peter to purchase him.

* * *

Later that night, the Griffins brought Vinny into their house for the first time.

"Well, Vinny," Peter began, flicking the light switch on, "welcome to our home."

"All right, this is good," Vinny responded. "This is good. Hey, you guys got a good banging-broads couch, you know that?"

New Brian chuckled. "Wow, you're funny, too, Vinny."

"Vinny, you must be starving," Lois said. "What can I make you for dinner?"

"Are you kidding?" Vinny replied. "You're a hardworking lady. So, tonight, I'm gonna make _you_ dinner."

"Wow," Lois responded. "Well, thank you, Vinny."

"Oh, wow," Brian said. "You offering to make _us_ dinner, even Lois? That's amazing, Vinny!"

"Grazie, Brian," Vinny replied. Then he turned his attention to Chris. "Hey, you, what's your name?"

"Chris."

"How about I call you 'Hat Boy'?" Vinny requested.

"Hell, yeah!" Chris answered, excited.

"Lower your voice, Chris," Lois said.

"It's Hat Boy, bitch!" Chris shouted.

"Wow, look at you, Vinny," Peter said to his new dog. "It's like you're already part of the family."

"Yeah," Brian agreed. "The three of us are going to get along just fine. Isn't that right, New Brian?"

"Of course," New Brian answered. "We're like the Three Musketeers: you being our Athos, me being our Porthos, and Vinny being our Aramis."

Vinny chuckled. "Well, this is a good start."

* * *

The following afternoon, after Peter introduced Vinny to Glenn and Joe at the Drunken Clam, the two sat on the living room couch drinking cans of beer.

"Oh, boy, Vinny," Peter said. "Hanging out with you has been the best. You want another beer?

"No," Vinny responded, confusing Peter. "I'd love one!"

The two laughed.

"What...What the first thing you said was..." Peter began before trailing off to another laugh. "Oh, my god! You're on, you're, like, on another level, Vinny!"

With that, Vinny gave his can to Peter, who then took both cans out to recycle.

"Well, Vinny," Brian said, getting his attention, "you sure do know how to make a family man laugh."

"Yeah," Vinny agreed. "And it's good to know I've already made friends with two family dogs before me."

The two dogs laughed before New Brian came in.

"Hey, Vinny," he said. "Now that you're a member of the family, Brian and I should treat you like you're our brother. After all, we _are_ dogs."

"Why, that would be okay in _my_ book," Vinny agreed.

"Yeah," Brian, ditto.

"Hey, Vinny, you want to see a puppet show?" Peter called from hallway. "They all got leather jackets!"

"You wanna come see the show?" Vinny requested the other two dogs.

Brian and New Brian then nodded before joining Vinny in walking to the hallway.

"Boy, this is gonna be so much fun," Vinny said. "More fun than getting a nose piercing at a festival."

**Cutaway****:** We see Vinny attending a festival wearing a nose ring.

"Eh, it's okay," he said, shrugging.


	6. Chapter 6

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 6 - Bringing the Christmas Carnival Back

* * *

Months have passed to Christmastime. The Griffins were watching _Home Alone with Competent Robbers_ when Lois was ready to go the mall.

"Come on, everybody, let's go to the mall," she informed everyone. "It's time for the Christmas Carnival."

"I love the Christmas Carnival!" Chris shouted in excitement, little knowing his nose was bleeding.

"Chris, calm down," Lois said. "You're giving yourself a nosebleed."

"You know," Peter began, "the best thing about the Quahog Mall is going into Tiffany's and doing everything possible to make 'em think I might actually buy something."

"And again," Brian began, "we're not going to set up a cutaway this time."

* * *

When the Griffins arrived at the mall, Vinny admired the Santa hat Brian was wearing, and the elf costume New Brian was wearing.

"Hey, guys," he began, "I like what you're wearing. Maybe we should go to the photo booth and pose that way."

"Yeah," New Brian agreed. "Maybe we should."

The three dogs then bumped into Chris, who, like the rest of the family, stopped short. They had noticed that the halls in the mall haven't been decked.

"Huh?" New Brian wondered. "What happened to the decorations? And where's the Christmas tree?"

"Yeah," Peter began. "I'm starting to wonder that, too. Oh, look, there's Santa."

"Peter, no," Lois said, trying to stop him. "That's a Hells Angel."

Peter didn't listen as he sat on the Hells Angel's lap.

"What do you want?" the bum asked.

"Meth," Peter answered.

"Okay."

Meg talked some sense into her father. "There's no Christmas Carnival, Dad."

"You seem to know a lot about this, Meg," Peter replied sarcastically. "What did you do?"

"Yeah, Meg," Brian said. "I couldn't have said it any better myself." He turned to the other dogs and continued, "God, what the hell is going on here? We were all prepared for this. I guess the only way to find out is if we start by drawing straws and find some answers."

"Leave it to me, Bri," New Brian said before dashing off to the Starbucks stand, then coming back with some straws he borrowed. "Okay, I have three straws in hand, and I've only shortened one of them. Whoever gets the shortest straw will get to finding answers. Okay, let's close our eyes and draw."

The dogs did so, and both Brian and Vinny picked a straw from New Brian's paw. The dogs then opened their eyes and saw that Vinny had the shortest straw.

"Well, I guess I'm the one who's going to find some answers," Vinny said, shrugging. "This would be so much better than bothering the cologne salesman at Macy's."

**Cutaway:** We see Vinny near the cologne counter at the Macy's store, talking to the salesman.

"I want something I can wear on the street that a broad can smell on a fire escape," he requested.

Back to the family, sans Vinny, who just went out to search for answers.

"There's gotta be an explanation for this," Lois said. "Let's ask that security guard who has everything on his belt except a gun."

She approached the guard.

"E-Excuse me, sir?"

"It's 'officer," the guard corrected.

"No, it's not, it's barely 'sir'," Lois corrected back.

"Yeah, I know," the guard sighed.

"Where is the Christmas Carnival?" Chris asked.

The guard answered, "Canceled. I don't know why. I'm just a small cog in this operation."

"You hear that, Dad?" Chris said. "You're not the only one around here with a small cog."

"I told you that in confidence, Chris," Peter and Lois said at the same time before looking at each other in confusion.

"Oh, my god," Brian said, disappointed. "The Christmas Carnival's been canceled? This is so disappointing."

"Boy, you can say _that_ again, Brian," Peter replied, feeling the same way. "How come every time I'm feeling happy, somebody's gotta come along and ruin it?"

* * *

Later that night, Brian had just texted Vinny about the Carnival's cancellation. New Brian had entered the kitchen.

"Good Lord, Brian," New Brian said, about as disappointed as he is. "I can't believe the Carnival's been cancelled."

"Don't worry, New Brian," Brian assured. "I just texted Vinny, and even now, he's finding answers, and probably a way to save it."

"I sure hope so, Brian," New Brian replied. "I sure hope so."

* * *

The next day, as the Griffins were watching _Miracle on 134th Street_, Vinny had just come home with some news.

"Hey, I've been asking around about this carnival thing," he said. "Turns out I know a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy who knows a girl, which is weird because they don't usually know nothing, who says the carnival was canceled by the mall's owner: some guy named Carter Pewterschmidt."

This bit of information made Lois and Brian widen their eyes.

"Oh, my God," Lois said, shocked.

"So I got another guy working on finding out who that is," Vinny continued.

"It's my father," Lois informed.

"Oh!" Vinny shouted in surprise. "This is a twist I did not expect. Oh! Excuse me, I'm just gonna have to 'Oh' this out until I'm not surprised anymore." Vinny exited the living room going "Oh! Oh! Oh!" every two-thirds of a second before eventually calming down.

Brian and New Brian got up.

"Excuse us, Lois," Brian said. "We're just going to talk to Vinny about something."

With that, both dogs also exited the living room. They found Vinny in the study.

"Hey, Vin," New Brian began, "Brian and Carter have been going at it for seasons, since the time he tried to mate Carter's dog, Seabreeze."

"New Brian, please," Brian halted. "Listen, Vinny. I don't know how we're going to do this, but we're going to reason with Carter and try to get the Christmas Carnival back."

"Really?" Vinny asked. "I don't know how we're going to bring it back, either. I mean it's not like we're gonna have a dickens of a time to get it back or anything."

What Vinny just said brought something to Brian's mind.

"Dickens," Brian repeated. "Vinny, that's _it_! I know exactly how we're going to save the Carnival."

"You mean...?" New Brian started to ask.

"Yeah," Brian answered. "This will be so much better than bringing back our favorite TV show that's been canceled."

Pause.

"What?" New Brian responded. "No cutaways?...Oh, okay."


	7. Chapter 7

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 7 - A Dickens of a Time

* * *

While Carter was inside his office, he flipped off the window wiper. However, before he could get back to doing his work, the lights in his office went off.

"Hello, Carter," a voice greeted, getting his attention. It was Death, the Grim Reaper himself.

"Oh, good Lord!" Carter exclaimed in fear. "Please, don't take my soul, I have so much to live for!" With that, he groveled at Death's feet.

"Relax," Death assured. "I'm not here to take your soul. I'm here with your daughter Lois' dogs to let you know about your past, present and future."

"My past, present and future?" Carter repeated. "What about them?"

"Well, Carter," New Brian said, coming into the room with Brian and Vinny, "we're going to remind you of how happy you were then."

"And what's going on right now because of the Christmas Carnival cancellation," Brian added.

"And what's going to happen if you don't bring it back," Vinny added.

"This isn't some _Christmas Carol_ thing, is it?" Carter asked.

"You'll see, Carter," New Brian said. "First, let's talk about your past. Death?"

Death tapped his scythe on the floor and the scene changed.

* * *

We see Carter, Death and New Brian outside the Pewterschmidt mansion.

"My home, huh?" Carter wondered. "What are we doing here?"

"Look inside the window," New Brian requested him.

Carter did so. He saw his younger-looking wife, Barbara, and his children, Lois, Carol and Patrick, around the Christmas tree.

"I think I remember this," Carter said. "It's Lois' first Christmas. Oh, what a happy memory." With that, a tear fell from his eye as he smiled. He then saw his young self with a camera.

"Okay, everyone," the young Carter said. "Everyone around the tree and say cheese."

"Cheese!" the young Barbara, Patrick and Carol said. Lois was still too young to talk because she was still a baby then. The camera flashed.

"Ah," Carter sighed. "What a happy memory."

"Yes," New Brian agreed. "It was a happy memory. But overtime, you managed to love something else other than your family. After all, money isn't that important. Family is."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Carter said, deflating.

"Well, now we've seen your past," Death said. "Now it's time to see what's going on in the present."

With that, Death tapped on a brick, and the scene changed once again.

* * *

Now Carter found himself with Brian next to the Griffin house.

"Lois' house?"

"That's right, Carter," Brian replied. "Because you canceled the Carnival, Lois, Peter, Meg and Chris are pretty sad."

Carter looked inside. He saw that they _were_ indeed pretty sad.

"Oh, Peter," Lois said, placing her hand on his. "I only wish there was something we could do to change Daddy's mind about the Carnival."

"I hope so, Lois," Peter replied. "With just two kids remaining, it looks like we're going to have a blue Christmas this year. It's no wonder your father's Jewish."

This hit Carter pretty hard. "People think I'm Jewish?"

"Well, you _are_ married to a Jewish woman," Brian informed. "And with the Carnival's cancelation, people do have a Jewish man to blame."

"Please, Brian," Carter pleaded. "I can't bear to see this any longer."

"Very well," Brian replied. "I think you're ready for a future of what may be. Death?"

With that, a flash of white changed the scene yet again.

* * *

Now, Carter found himself in a graveyard with Vinny by his side.

"Well, this is it," Vinny said. "A future of what may be if you don't bring the Carnival back."

"I'm a little frightened," Carter said, quivering.

The two saw a grave being dug for a deceased man.

"Whose..." Carter began to ask as he gulped. "Whose grave is _that_ going to be for?"

With that, Vinny allowed Carter to follow him there. The two grave diggers took no notice of them because they don't exist in this world. Vinny then lit a match and started smoking a cigar.

"It's gonna be yours, Carter," Vinny informed.

"Mine?" Carter repeated.

"Unless you change your ways," Vinny continued.

Carter sighed, letting out a single tear. "Very well, Vincenzo. I'll bring back the Carnival, for Lois' sake."

"That's the spirit," Vinny smiled. "Death?"

With that, the scene changed again.

* * *

The Quahog Mall was decorated for the now-brought-back Christmas Carnival, and everyone, including the Griffins, were happy that Carter brought it back. The three dogs celebrated their victory near Starbucks.

"Well, guys, we did it," Brian said. "We saved Christmas and convinced Carter to bring the Carnival back."

"And we couldn't have done it without you, Brian," Vinny agreed.

"So, since you're the hero, Brian," New Brian began, "what is it you want for Christmas?"

Brian stopped drinking his coffee and looked at the mall Santa with a child in his lap. He then looked at Lois' lap as _she_, too, was drinking her coffee with Peter, Meg and Chris by her side. All of it seemed to hit Brian emotionally.

"Oh, boy," Brian said to himself. "I'm going to regret saying this." He turned to the other two dogs, saying, "You know what _I_ want for Christmas? I want my friend back."

"Your friend?" New Brian and Vinny repeated.

"Yes," Brian answered. "My best friend, a human baby named Stewie. He's dead. It's been six seasons since his death and nobody's ever mentioned his name."

"There was a baby in the family?" Vinny asked.

"You didn't even tell us about him," New Brian added.

"I'll tell you what happened sometime," Brian replied, "but right now, all I want is Stewie." He looked down at his coffee with a sad look on his face.

"You sure you want a dead baby under the tree?" Vinny asked.

"Yeah," Brian answered. "And maybe some kibble, too."


	8. Chapter 8

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 8 - Hologram

* * *

Later that night, after Brian was watching _A Year Without a Santa Claus or Sex_, he got an unexpected greeting from New Brian, who was wearing a yellow shirt, red overalls, and cyan shoes, just like the ones Stewie was wearing, and his head fur combed back.

"Hello, Brian," New Brian addressed in a British accent, emulated to sound like Stewie.

"New Brian?" Brian wondered. "What are you doing?"

"I'm acting like Stewie for _you_, Brian," New Brian responded in his normal voice. He then emulated his British accent again with, "Damn you, vile woman. Blast. What the deuce?"

"Oh, forget it," Brian regarded. "You're not Stewie."

"Come on, Brian," New Brian shrugged in his normal voice. "I went through a lot of trouble. For example, I know Stewie was rather into world domination, so I watched a few episodes from the DVDs. Victory shall be mine." He emulated his British accent on this.

"Yeah," Brian replied. "That _is_ about Stewie's level of global conquest."

"Of course," New Brian agreed in his normal voice. "And I can even sing songs _he_ sang, like 'I've Got a Little List'. Wanna hear?"

"No thanks, New Brian," Brian sighed. "Look, I appreciate all this, but there's only one Stewie. And it's tough for me that he's gone, especially around the holidays."

"Well," Vinny said, coming into the living room, "I know _one_ way to cheer you up, Brian. How about you open some Christmas presents early? Here, this one's from me," he said, handing Brian a present.

Brian opened the box, and was shocked to find a severed foot in it.

"What the hell?" Brian gasped. "There's a foot in there!"

"That was meant to be for someone else," Vinny realized. "I'm very sorry, Brian."

**Cutaway:** We see a group of mobsters in an Italian restaurant, with the underboss presenting his group with a present.

"Well, my friends," the underboss began, "I think Johnny "The Foot" Giatelli is dead."

He opened the box only to discover that there's a diamond-decorated bone in there.

"Uh-oh," one of the mobsters said. "They must have killed Randy "The Bone" Spumoni instead."

Back to the dogs in the living room.

"Speaking of presents," New Brian said, handing Brian a thin box, "Vinny and I picked this one for you."

Brian opened the box to find... "A bowling shirt. Wow, thanks, guys."

"You can wear it anywhere," Vinny said. "To the beach, a wedding on the beach, beach graduation, beach funeral, business conference which could be at a beach, a stroll through the park, should that park be adjacent to a beach."

"I think I have a place in my closet for this," Brian said, admiring the shirt. "I'll cherish it with much appreciation from you guys."

With that, Brian went upstairs to the closet of his bedroom, which used to belong to Stewie. The crib was replaced with a Queen-sized bed, almost none of the toys were seen, save for Rupert, and the wallpaper was changed to match a canine theme. As Brian put the shirt inside the closet, a thin device with a blue lens fell to the floor. On the device was a label: "Press me". Brian noticed this and did what the label said. The device then showed a hologram from the lens.

"Stewie?" Brian wondered.

"_Hello, Brian,_" the Stewie hologram greeted. "_If you're watching this, it means I'm dead. Probably because of a birth defect, illness, or murder. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know about something that can bring me back. You will find it in my laboratory. It is a metal box with a door on it. Inside are controls that can set the time to where, or in this instance, when you want to go. In other words, it's a time machine. It also comes with a return pad in case you want to return to your home timeline. Feel free to use it, Brian. Good luck, my friend._"

With that, the hologram faded. Brian was stunned to find out that he can prevent the chain of events that led to Stewie's death. He pulled the baseball bat in the toy box, which was left over. When he did, the laboratory opened up. Brian was amazed to see everything Stewie had invented before he died.

When he found the time machine, he said, quietly, "Jackpot." He then said aloud, "New Brian! Vinny! Come quick, I found something!"


	9. Chapter 9

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 9 - Stewie

* * *

Some time later, Brian had pressed a few buttons inside the time machine.

"Now," he began, "all I've got to do is set the coordinates to the moment before Stewie left to kill Lois and I can save him."

"Oh, yeah," Vinny, who, with New Brian, was near Brian, agreed. "Scott Bakula and all that."

"Yes, Vinny," Brian agreed. "Scott Bakula. Well, guys, thank you for everything."

"You bet," New Brian replied.

"You realize if I save Stewie," Brian continued, "none of us will have ever met. I'll probably never see either of you again."

"Oh," Vinny said, realizing.

"So, I think this is good-bye."

"Well, it was a good time," New Brian shrugged, "but it's been worth it."

With that, the three dogs smiled sadly.

"Goodbye, New Brian," Brian said, shaking New Brian's paw. "Goodbye, Vinny," Brain then shook Vinny's paw. "I'll never forget you two."

With that, Brian got inside the machine, which then activated.

* * *

In the living room, Brian was having a serious discussion with Stewie.

"You're not gonna kill her anyway," Brian said. "You're gonna bitch and moan, and then you're gonna do what you always do: the minute Lois walks through that door, you're gonna forget all about it, beg for your apple juice, go poop and fall asleep." With that, Brian walked off.

"God, he's right," Stewie said, talking to Rupert. "I've got the same daily routine as Dick Clark. Rupert, I've been all talk. So much time wasted." Stewie then pulled out a revolver from his back. "Well, no longer," he continued. "Lois is a dead woman!"

The Brian who just went back in time suddenly appeared behind the couch and pulled out a ray gun. He fired the ray at Stewie's revolver. Stewie was then shocked."

"What the hell?" Stewie wondered.

"Stewie," Brian began. "You don't have to kill her."

"Brian? What are _you_ doing here, and what the hell is going on?"

"If you kill Lois," Brian explained, "a chain reaction of events will then happen, eventually leading to _your_ death. And eventually, it hit _me_ emotionally, causing my heart to break. So, I came back from the future to prevent all those things from happening."

"Wait," Stewie halted. "You found my holographic letter and got into my time machine? This is great, thank you for saving my life. Of course, I may have to do a simulation of what's going to happen if I _do_ kill her."

"Okay," Brian said. "You do that."

With that, Brian got onto the return pad and disappeared.

* * *

When Brian returned, the time machine deactivated. He then opened the door and got out of it, finding himself back in the laboratory.

"Okay," Brian said. "I've got to see if saving Stewie affected anything."

With that, Brian got out of the lab, and found that his bedroom is back to being Stewie's. His crib, his toys, and the wallpaper were back to the way they were. Brian was excited. And, it was night time.

"I did it," Brian said. "I actually did it. I saved Stewie from dying."

He then heard the sound of a car pull into the driveway. He looked out the window and saw his Prius. Out of the Prius came Brian and Stewie.

"And it looks like I brought him home," Brian said, wagging his tail in delight. Suddenly, his smile gave way to a surprising look. "Wait, why is _Vinny_ here?"

He said this because he saw Vinny also come out of the Prius, having a chat with the Brian of this timeline.

"Could it be," Brian wondered, "that I bought Vinny as a present for the Griffins somehow?"

"Hey, you two," Brian heard Lois say from inside the living room. "How was the Mall? Did Stewie find a new toy to play with?"

"Well," this timeline's Brian began, "yes."

"What about something for the rest of us?" asked Lois.

"You'll see," this timeline's Brian replied.

Throughout all of this, Brian saw the conversation through the top of the stairs. As Lois was about to put Stewie to bed, Brian began to fade away.

"Huh," Brian wondered upon noticing. "I guess when I saved Stewie, my timeline has been erased. The timeline where he died doesn't exist anymore." Accepting his fate, Brian smiled with content. "Merry Christmas, Stewie."

With that, Brian faded away completely as Lois put Stewie into his crib, turned off the light, and closed the door. This gave Stewie the opportunity to open the bedroom window and give the signal. That signal gave Vinny a chance to climb up, using his catlike abilities, to Stewie's bedroom. He got in with a flip.

"Wow," Stewie whispered. "Nice reflexes."

"Thanks, Stewie," Vinny whispered back. He then looked around at the interior of the bedroom. "Mama mia," he whispered, still. "This is a fine-lookin' bedroom I've ever seen. I think I'll enjoy sleepin' in your closet tonight."

"Thanks," Stewie whispered. "I know you will."


	10. Chapter 10

_In a Time Without Stewie_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 10 - Thank you, Brian

* * *

It was Christmas morning at the Griffin house, and everyone was opening their presents. Stewie and Brian were sitting near the tree.

"It's from me, Brian," Stewie said, handing his present to the dog. "Merry Christmas."

Brian opened the gift. It was a crayon drawing Stewie drew of himself, Brian and Vinny, with the words "Friends Forever" written on top.

"Stewie," Brian began. "It's wonderful. Thank you."

"And your gift to us is wonderful, too," Stewie said, referring to Vinny. "He's a great addition to the family."

Vinny came in and gave Brian a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Brian," Vinny whispered.

"You, too, Vinny," Brian replied.

As Brian and Vinny hugged, Stewie thought, smiling, "_Thank you, Brian. I never will forget what you did for me six seasons ago. And for that, I'm forever grateful._"

* * *

"Never take those you love for granted, for they can be gone in a flash."

-Seth MacFarlane

* * *

The End


End file.
